Fuyu no Hana 冬の花
by Sigyn234
Summary: BleachPkmn crossover, wherein Aizen captures Lugia[Rugia] and joins forces with Ash and co, aka the idiotic twerps. Hitsugaya is unable to communicate with Hyourinmaru, and coincidentally, Articuno[Furiza] is missing. Joint story with TsukiNoKurokage
1. Preamble: Rugia's Disappearance

Preamble

He stood on the sand, the ragged shoreline that had lived through so many storms. He watched the ocean, the vast body of water, stretching to an unbroken horizon. As the sunlight splashed the skies with the vibrant hues of the coming twilight, his silhouette faded from dark blue to black, barely distinguishable against the ink-black sky. A slight sea-breeze blew across his face, cooling him and momentarily releasing the strain and tension of that day. He relaxed his stance, then tensed again. A stray memory flitted through his head, reminding him of the time he had first met the Lord of the Sea.

--

_It was a dark and stormy night; a young boy had been drawn to the water's edge by a voice, a psychic calling. Though he knew he could trust the one who had called him in the first place, he still was on his guard. He faced the sea, and it was then that a slight flicker of movement caught his sharp and sensitive eyes. It was a girl, her damp obsidian locks blowing across her face. She sat calmly on the sand, her face, like his, was void of emotion. Her reiatsu was strange. Too strong. Was she a shinigami as well? But pushing the thought aside, he asked her, though he already knew. _

_"What are you doing here alone?"_

_It hadn't seemed appropriate to stay silent. She shrugged his question off. "The same as what you came here to do." He looked away. He'd known._

_She whispered: "To witness once more the creation of the oceans; to see the one whose power over water will never know bounds.."_

_As if in answer to what she had said, a dark figure rose from the angry waves. Its eyes were red as ruby, as garnet, as allamandine. Its body was white, bearing a slight pearly sheen. Parts of what seemed to be its wings were a very dark violet, their colour nearly lost in the black of the night sky. It spoke in their minds._ I will meet both of you at sunset every night on this very shore._ It suddenly started and turned seaward. _Ask questions later.There is irregularity in the waves. I must go now. Farewell._ And with that, it disappeared into the sea. The boy's eyes widened. "That was..." he trailed off. He'd seen it. He'd known all along. The girl_ _continued softly, "The Psychic and Flying type Pokemon; the Guardian of Water."_

--

She sat on the same silken sands of that beach, and she too watched the waters. Every few minutes her eyes would stray to the boy standing a short distance away, swaying ever slightly, then back to the never tiring waters. She checked her watch. Wasn't it time? But she kept her questions from departing her lips; she did not want to worry the boy. He'd had enough stress for that day already. She decided to wait awhile more.

He looked back to the girl behind him, then turned his gaze once more to the restless waters. "He's late." The girl heard him mutter.

Letting her eyes rest once more on his tense, yet laid back posture, she sifted her memories for the day they met.

--

_Something drew me, like steel to a magnet. A voice. It bade me to wait on the shoreline of the beach; the beach of Storms. I went unarmed, and brought nothing. It was a gesture of peace._

_Halfway there it rained hard. I sat on the damp beach, not caring if my jeans got soaked or sandy. I could always dry them, dust them._

_So I sat there, staring at the angry black waters, boiling with all the fury of the storm._

_Not far away, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. I tensed, but did not get to my feet. Then I relaxed. It was a boy, no older than I was. I knew I could trust him. And somehow, at that moment I set my eyes on him, I knew, we were associated, in a way._

_Then he spoke, asking me why I was right there, at the beach. _Why? _I asked myself, then it hit me. _

_"The same as what you came to do." was my answer._

_At that moment, a great being rose from the angry, boiling waves. Its skin was like pearl, and its eyes blazed a beautiful crimson. It spoke to us, telling us that it would meet us at sunset every day. Then it left, as abruptly as it had come._

_It was then that I noticed the boy's reiatsu was odd. He was a trainee Shinigami, just like I was. _My own kind. _I felt a rush of joy. Then we parted ways._

--

The girl looked up again, this time from her reverie, and the boy turned to face her. He noticed that her usual smile was missing from her features. "Something's happened." She murmured apprehensively. The boy gave an affirmative nod.

Sousuke Aizen gazed at the glinting ball capsule in his hand. It contained the Legendary Psychic/Flying type Pokemon said to control the seas. Now, finally, it was his.

"Didn't realise you'd e so easy to snag. Just a flick of my zanpakutou and you were out." He said, and a sinister smile flicked across his features. "It wasn't fun, but yet, I get to use you. Watch your disciples fall, and submit themselves to me..."

The boy fidgeted slightly, and the girl sensed his unease. Foreboding was already spreading through her system. But she did not know the source, the cause, or what exactly had happened. She spoke up.

"Hitsugaya-kun, what has happened?"

He turned.

"Hinamori.." He whispered. "It's Rugia.."

Hinamori knew. She looked up. "Rugia.. Never showed up tonight." she paused, then added quietly, apprehensively, "He... It's Aizen, is it not? He's the cause.. Of this disappearance.."

--

His mind flicked back to his second meeting with Rugia.

_"Who are you?" he had asked. The reply came instantly._

You ask me for my identity, yet in your heart you already know. But I will tell you once more. I am Rugia, the Lord of the Sea...

--

"Yes," Hitsugaya Toshiro answered. "Aizen.. Aizen has captured Rugia."

note: I use the Japanese names of Pokemon here, so Lugia is written as Rugia


	2. Chapter 1: Mysterious Furiza

Chapter 1 – Mysterious Furiza

The sadist grinned, gripping onto the capsule-like ball that contained the guardian of the sea, and switched on a hologram showing three different islands and a majestic shrine. Aizen scrolled over to the first island and zoomed in on it. For once, his face fell. FOR ONCE.

"I do not understand…" Aizen glanced at the ball. "By now… Furiza should've at least showed up…" Aizen inspected the cave Articuno usually slept in, and saw that the ice wall had broken. "If she isn't here, where else can she hide? Her siblings… Faiya and Zanda…" Aizen looked at two other balls behind him, one with Ichimaru and the other with Tousen.

"They're safe in 'ere, Aizen-sama," Ichimaru informed, giving Aizen as assuring grin of his.

Aizen grinned back. "That's good to hear… Now all I have to do is figure out Furiza's whereabouts…"

"_Iie! Rugia, I won't! I won't leave you alone!" a serene bird of snow and ice cried, her tears from her red eyes turning freezing into ice. Blood tainted her beautiful blue feathers, and she sat on the icy cliff, helpless…_

"_Furiza! Listen to me!" a firm, strong voice spoke. It belonged to a creature with purple spikes on his back, but blood had already tainted his white body. "You have to escape from here!"_

"_R-Rugia-sama…"_

"_Hurry! Before __**he **__gets you too!"_

"_B-but __Rugia-sama… I… I'm not sure if I can fly… i-in my condition…"_

_Rugia knelt down and whispered to Furiza, "If you believe in yourself, you will be able to overcome all obstacles, Furiza-chan. It's all in self-confidence… You need to have strong faith, Furiza-chan…" Rugia groaned in pain when he stopped and his face fell to the icy cliff._

_Furiza__ screamed in fear, "RUGIA--SAMA!" She crawled over to the fallen guardian of the sea, even more icy tears falling. "Rugia-sama… D-daijoubu ka…?"_

"_Y-yes, I-I'm fine…"_

"_You don't sound fine, Rugia-sama! That's why I won't leave you behind!"_

"_No, __Furiza! You can't stay here! __**He **__will get you too if you stay here!"_

"_Demo, Rugia-sama… I… I…"_

_Rugia moved a wing of his and patted Furiza, trying to comfort the latter. "Furiza. I'll be fine on my own. I can't risk you… But I can save you." Rugia used his psychic powers, and healed all of Furiza's bleeding wounds. Furiza blinked away tears, and Rugia gave her an assuring but weak smile. _

_A smil__e that motivated her to follow Rugia's orders._

"_Now__, Furiza… __**set upon the frosted heavens**__... and get out of here now."_

Hitsugaya sat up in a jolt. His usual cool and calm emerald green eyes became panicked and not as deep emerald as usual, but he blinked and regained his normal composure. "Rugia…" he muttered, putting a hand to his forehead, remembering the day's events. Like any other day, Hitsugaya and Hinamori would meet at the seashore and wait for a certain sea guardian to appear, but he did not on that particular day. The more he thought about it, the more Hitsugaya was certain that Aizen had captured the sea guardian.

"Aizen…" Hitsugaya hissed the bastard's name, clenching his fist. "I know you had something to do with Rugia's disappearance… And judging by my strange dream, I just **know **that you want to capture another precious Pokémon… Furiza, was it?"

"Taichou?" Matsumoto spoke groggily. "Who are you speaking to…? Yawn…"

"No one, Matsumoto. Go back to sleep."

"Demo, Taichou, I can't sleep with you screaming 'Rugia' in your sleep…" Matsumoto admitted embarrassingly. "It, uh… woke me up and… well…"

Hitsugaya blinked. '_I… screamed? In my sleep?!_'

"By the way, Taichou… Who _**is **_Rugia?" (A/N: Hitsugaya and Hinamori are the only shinigami who know about the existence of Pokémon. The other shinigami don't know about it.)

Hitsugaya tossed a pillow at her childishly. "None of your business, Matsumoto."

Matsumoto clapped and giggled. She patted Hitsugaya on the head, and it made Hitsugaya pissed. "Ooh, Taichou's acting like a kid now! Next time, we should organize a pillow fight party and invite all the Taichous and Fukutaichous to play!"

Hitsugaya picked up the same pillow, froze it, and tossed it at Matsumoto.

Aizen got up from his (so-called) throne and walked down the staircase. He walked closer and closer to his most trusted subordinates, and handed them Rugia's PokéBall. Aizen's eyes glinted. "Please take good care of Rugia-kun while I handle something rather… important, first." Ichimaru and Tousen nodded obediently, and Aizen walked away, the sick, sadistic grin still glued to his (ugly) face.

"Ara ara... Looks like Aizen-sama is at it again…" Ichimaru commented casually.

"What's that?" Tousen asked curiously.

"I know Aizen-sama is going to head off to the bathroom…"

"Nani? Bathroom? For what purpose?" (A/N: Expect humor and OOCness.)

"Oh… ya know… Starin' into the mirror… Combin' his hair… Puttin' hair gel… Smilin' and sayin' 'I, Aizen Sousuke, am the hottest and most powerful being around!'… The same ol' stuff everyday."

Tousen's eyes twitched. "Aizen-sama does that everyday? I thought he's busy with the Arrancar and the Rugia, Faiya, Zanda and Furiza business."

"Ya didn't know? Aizen-sama loves doing that. That's why I give 'im hair gel and/or facial stuff for his birthday."

"Speaking of which, I'd better go and get Aizen-sama's presents ready beforehand. I heard that the cosmetics shop in Seireitei is having a sale."

"Hontou ni? What's the discount, eh?"

"Fifty percent discount."

"Wow, that's a lot. I'll be savin' tons of money 'tis year…" Ichimaru's smile grew wider. "Hmm… 'Ey, let's say, yer an' me, we go Seireitei and buy Aizen-sama those cosmetics, eh?"

"Hm… That proposal can be considered… Oh, I sense Aizen-sama's reiatsu approaching. Keep your mouth shut about this, Ichimaru."

"I know that." Ichimaru looked at the approaching sadist whose hair seemed wet and sticky with hair gel, and whose face seemed shinier (A/N: I'm gonna puke…), possibly due to facial cream. Ichimaru's guess was right. "Ah, Aizen-sama, back already?"

"Ichimaru. Yes, I'm back. Now, I'll get Rugia back," replied Aizen as he grabbed Rugia's ball from his most trusted subordinates. He turned, his back facing his subordinates and walked back up the staircase to sit back on his throne. He switched on the same hologram as before, and monitored Furiza's island to check if Furiza had returned, or left behind any traces of her arrival. There was none.

"This is really strange… It has been more than a day since Rugia's capture, but Furiza hasn't made a single movement… I thought Rugia's capture would attract the three legendary elemental birds – Furiza, Zanda and Faiya – but only Furiza is missing…"

"Aizen-sama," Tousen called out. "Forgive my interruption, however, I have an idea as to where the ice bird in question may be."

"Really?" Aizen smiled, feeling proud of Tousen. "Tell me."

"Hai. There is a possibility that Pokémon have minds of their own and normally act to their own will. We had thought that Rugia's capture would attract the three elemental birds, but perhaps of the three, Furiza might have sensed that something was wrong with Rugia's capture and gone into hiding in order to protect itse-herself from you, Aizen-sama," Tousen explained, correcting himself about Furiza's gender.

"Hmm… You might be right, Tousen. Now the thing is, where could that annoying ice bird have hidden?"

"Aizen-sama, she could be at Seireitei. Ya never know, ya know? Ya _**do **_realize that a certain icy an' prodigal, not to mention kawaii, lil' Taichou in Seireitei?" Ichimaru hinted, his malicious and sickening grin becoming even wider and wider as he spoke about the prodigal captain.

"Ahh, so maybe that's where she went: Seireitei. And possibly with Hitsugaya Toushirou-kun. That's something I'll have to look into. However…" Aizen looked at Ichimaru and Tousen. "I doubt we'll need to go there ourselves. We're too well-known in Seireitei. Hmm… Maybe we can use some bait…"

"ASH!!! YOU GOT US LOST AGAIN!!!" May screamed in Ash's ear. Ash rubbed his ear, and gave May a glare. May glared back. "You know, I shouldn't have offered to tag along with you on this journey…"

"Well, I just wanted to check out Lugia's disappearance! It could be in trouble!" Ash protested.

"Yeah, whenever you're concerned, it's _**always **_trouble…" Max groaned.

"What did you say?!"

"Whoa, whoa, chill, guys. No need to get so rough with each other," Brock said, trying to calm the group down, thus preventing another fiery argument. Pikachu attempted at calming Ash down too, but to no avail, of course.

"That's right, there's no need to get so rough with each other," a calm, yet creepy and sadistic voice murmured, loud enough for the group to hear. Three grown men appeared before them in a flash and the one with brown hair and an ugly face spoke, "Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Aizen desu. Aizen Sousuke."

"YIAAAAAAAAHHH! H-how did you move so fast?!" the group yelled.

Tousen sighed, "Looks like we have a lot of explaining to do, Aizen-sama."

Aizen smiled sadistically. "Yes, it appears so."

The 10th Division Captian shunpo-ed over to the 5th Division and came upon its Fukutaichou's room. Hitsugaya knocked on the door and heard Hinamori's muffled voice calling, "Come in." Hitsugaya opened the Japanese-style sliding door and entered the room. Hinamori looked up from her stack of paperwork on her desk and smiled at the Ice Dragon. "Hitsugaya-kun! Ohayou! There was no need for you to knock, you know, Hitsugaya-kun! You can come in at any time you want!"

"Hinamori, how many times do I have to tell you? It's Hitsugaya-_**taichou**_, not Hitsugaya-_**kun**_."

"Aw, there's no difference. And anyway, you'll always be my Shirou-chan!"

Hitsugaya blushed a little. "Y-yeah, I'll have to tell you to stop calling me that too." But deep down, he seriously liked it – no, loved it – whenever Hinamori called him Shirou-chan. "Anyway, I didn't come here just to tell you that. Hinamori," Hitsugaya called out firmly, his tone getting serious. Hinamori, sensing it, put on a serious look as Hitsugaya continued, "I had a dream about Rugia."

"So, lemme get this straight… You want us to help you look for Furiza in Seereetee-"

"Seireitei," Aizen corrected.

Ash continued, "Riiiiiight… And beat those weirdos called 'shinigami' to find out where Furiza is, and once everyone is beaten, you'll return Rugia?"

"That's right."

"How do we know if we should trust you?" Max asked suspiciously.

"What other choice do you have? Rugia is in my hands now; don't you want the guardian of the sea back?" Aizen smiled, knowing that he was successful. Ash and his friends looked uneasily at each other, not sure if they should trust the men that suddenly appeared before them…


	3. Chapter 2: Furiza's Plans

Chapter 2 –Furiza's Plans

Utter darkness. Every detail of her dwelling, swallowed up. Was this death?

The flying and ice-type Pokemon blinkd her strawberry-red eyes slowly, groggily, looking apprehensively around her. The painful memories of the past events crashed upon her like an avalanche, and she stared hopelessly into the void around her. "Rugia-sama…" she murmured, feeling the familiar sadness envelope her. "Faiya-san, Zanda-kun…" she felt her eyes brim with tears, which she blinked away angrily. Crying wouldn't help her. Wouldn't help them either. This was all up to her now. She had to find the one whose dreams her soul had caressed, whose soul was fused with hers by destiny.

The Guardian of Winter spread her ice-blue wings and took off in flight.

"Rugia?" Hinamori's eyes widened inquisitively. "Please tell me you've found out where Furiza resides." When she saw the answer in his eyes, her anxiety overtook her. "Every day. _Every day _I sense her presence but she never appears. The only reason I still hope is because I _know _that she's managed to keep herself out of that _kisama's _hands! I can't let her resistance be in vain." She burst out, then bit her lip, annoyed with herself at her outburst.

She met Hitsugaya's calm green eyes, marveling at his self-control.

"And another thing." He suddenly said. "Hyourinmaru's not been responding recently. I'm thinking… does this have something to do with…" he trailed off, staring into a corner of the room, then reaching for Hyourinmaru's hilt, without knowing the reason why. "We need to do something, Hinamori. Aizen's probably still on her heels." The words came out more quietly than he'd expected.

"Try to contact Hyourinmaru again, because I _may_ have a clue about what is going on." She gave him a warm and assuring smile.

Sousuke Aizen regarded the four before him. What could they possibly do for him, anyway? They were all mere children. He'd nearly burst out laughing when he tried imagining them attempting to get past the gargantuan Jidanbou, gatekeeper of Seireitei. But he could handle that, no problem. After all, he _was_ the most powerful being around, wasn't he? (A/N: I beg to differ..!?)

"Consider this offer, alright? And I'll let you rule beside me when I gain control over Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. I'll meet you tomorrow; don't bother looking for me. I'll find you wherever you are."

The trio was silent all the way back to Seireitei. "Aizen-sama."Tousen spoke up. "Do you think that the children we met this morning will be able to carry out the tasks we will set them? The boy struck me as a rather dense person. He seemed to have difficulty processing the information we gave him."

Aizen waved his concern off. "No. I will help them. In fact, the more of a _baka _he is, the better. Suspicions will not be aroused. The boy is perfect. He even looks innocent."(A/N: innocent? Ash?! You must be pulling my leg. Of course, birds of a feather flock together, as they say.)

Ash looked uneasily at May. "I'll do it!" he said to no one in particular. May glared viciously at him. "You! You really are going to tell that ugly guy and his freaky friends that you're gonna do what he wants?! You don't even know if he has Rugia or not!!" she screamed.

"Well… I…

"If you wanna make yourself useful, go do something that won't involve me having to save your stupid, sorry, ashy ass! I for one, am _not _trusting that trio of freaks! Especially not Aizen!"

Ash's nose went up in the air. "Well, do what you want. Cos I'm gonna rescue the Lord of the Sea! Come on, Brock." Ash stormed off.

"show-off." May muttered. "Don't blame me when you get captured, or killed, because I'm not going to give a shit about you, you piece of crap. How I ever got to like you in the first place I will never know. Max, you coming with me or not?"

Brock and Max looked at each other. Their thoughts were broadcasted clearly on their faces. _Oh no, not again!!_

"Oh well. " Max stared at his feet. "Bye Brock. Be sure to keep safe! And make sure Ash's ass keeps outta trouble!"

_Hinamori was face to face with the Lady of Winter, Furiza herself. "Hana…" she whispered, barely audible. Hinamori took a step closer. Her eyes widened as she gazed at Furiza in her full-fledged, frigid beauty._

"_Hana."_

_Though the name Furiza spoke was not Hinamori recognized, she felt the need to answer without knowing why. A long silence filled the void between them before Hinamori found her voice again._

"_Hai, Furiza-san."_

"_There isn't much time now. Tell Kori that I…" Furiza began to fade._

"_Furiza-san! Who is Kori?!"_

"_Hana, tell him that I am his Zanpakutou's…" Furiza faded into the white of her background._

--

Hinamori's eyes flashed open. For a minute or so she lay still, trying to recall the dream and grasp its meaning. Then suddenly, from the corner of her consciousness: a flash of ice blue. Furiza! The memory of the dream rushed back into her mind like a wave rushing ashore.

"Furiza told me to find 'Kori' and tell him that she is his Zanpakutou's…?" she murmured.

His Zanpakutou's _what_?

Then it struck her. Of course! His Zanpakutou's _spirit_. What else?

Then came the second mystery. _Who was Kori?_ Kori. Ice. The prodigal captain of the tenth division, and her childhood friend Toushirou Hitsugaya! She had to tell him. It was Furiza's bidding, and she could not afford to fail the Lady of Winter, who'd put so much trust in her. Hinamori hastily leapt out of bed, all traces of sleep gone from her bright brown eyes. She flash-stepped over to the captain's room and knocked on the wooden pane of his door.

"Come in"

Hinamori stepped inside. "Hitsugaya-kun, I have something to tell you."

He looked up from his desk. "Ohayou, Hinamori. I, too, have got something to tell you."

Aizen appeared with his two accomplices once more.

"So, Ash, what be your answer?"

"I'll help you find it, Aizen." (A/N: he's never cared about the genders of Pokemon)

"Aizen-_sama,_" Aizen corrected. (A/N: he wants to feel… authority.)

"Aizen-sama. Now tell us what to do." Ash said.

"I'm sorry (A/N: no, he ain't. he's never been.), but the only way you can enter Seireitei, let alone Soul Society, is to be in konpaku form. And unfortunately, in this situation, I will just have to kill you." Aizen said, evidently the sadism and pleasure in his voice at the thought of taking yet another life.

Ash's eyes widened. "What the _hell_?! But I thought you said…!"

"Child, that is only what you _thought _I said. You won't get through the gate of Soul Society safely if I don't do it this way!" Aizen said. "After all, what could be better than being a spirit _like me_?"

Ash looked at his feet. "Err.."

A force hit him full behind the head violently. The next few moments were a blur. Once he was aware again, his surroundings had changed, and he saw Aizen standing next to him, and high walls towering before him.

"Where's Brock?" Ash asked.

"Right here." Came a voice from behind Aizen.

"Oh." Ash stared at the wall.

"Welcome to Seireitei, the dwelling of the Shinigami." Aizen droned.

Then Ash made a strangled sound. Then he gulped like a goldfish and pointed. Aizen followed the direction of the pointing finger. It was Jidanbou, gatekeeper of Seireitei, peering at them from his great height. He recognized them instantly.

"Orders are that you are not to pass through these gates."

Aizen's Zanpakutou emerged from its sheath. "You forget, Jidanbou, that I am capable of ending your life with a single blow." A cruel smile contorted his hideous features.

Jidanbou took a step back. The gates of Seireitei grated open before Ash and Brock's wonderstruck eyes.

Hinamori sat. "You first," she said quietly, though her eyes burned with a feverish anxiety do deliver her news.

Hitsugaya saw it, but the earnest in her voice made him decide that she should have her way.

"Furiza came to me in a dream," he began, and saw Hinamori's eyes widen at this first statement, but continued. "She told me that she was sealed… somewhere—" here he paused and tried to recall. "And the name she addressed me by…"

Hinamori cut in as he trailed off. "Kori.." she whispered.

Hitsugaya glanced at her, surprised. "You too?" then he continued. "Yes… she told me that you would tell me who she truly is."

Hinamori paused awhile, and looked straight into his chrysocolla-green eyes. "She told me to tell you that she is your Zanpakutou's—"

"—my Zanpakutou's spirit," he cut in, finishing her sentence.

"You knew?" she gasped.

"No. It was a guess." He told her. "But it seems like I'm right. So, in that case, what becomes of Hyourinmaru?"

"Furiza's still full of mysteries. But, if she really is your Zanpakutou's spirit, she will one day come to you, and you will know all you need to," Hinamori assured him, sensing the confusion roiling in his mind. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Wait a little longer," she whispered. "And take care."

Then she left, leaving the shadow of that sunny and reassuring smile in her wake.

The task was done. Now, all she could do was wait; wait and slumber in tranquility until it was time to reveal the fact of her presence. The Lady of Winter closed her crimson eyes. The day was near. Not long before the time was ripe for her to reveal all she knew to her young wielder.

"Whoa. Seireitei's one. Amazing. Place." Ash gaped.

"Sure is." Brock commented with matching awe.

"Get _on_ with it, and _get in_!" Aizen ordered impatiently.

Too excited to care what the consequences would be, Ash and Brock ran full speed toward the heart of Seireitei, just as a lone hell butterfly fluttered quietly above their heads. Spotting them, it instantly veered around to inform the nearest shinigami captain of the intruders.

--

Tenth Division Captain Hitsugaya Toushiro rushed off as soon as the news reached his ears. For these intruders to have gotten past Jidanbou at the gate without being noticed was quite a feat. He prepared himself for the worst. But when he got there…

His first thought was one of surprise. _Mere children? How did they get past Jidanbou?_ Then the next, of anger, as realization thrust the truth at him. _Aizen Sousuke…!_

He calmly stopped before them. His demeanor hardened.

"Who are you?"

Ash stared him in the eye. "My name is Ash Ketchum, a Pokemon Master _to be_ (A/N: to be? More like a Pokemon Master wannabe!), and this is my traveling companion Brock."

"If you really know what you've landed yourself in, you'd turn tail and run."

"We're not scared of you," Ash sneered. "The giant guy at the front gate was practically on his knees! I can't imagine someone with _your _stature going against us."

Hitsugaya was about to open his mouth to retort to Ash's statement, when he decided that it would've been a waste of time and breath in such circumstances.

"who sent you, you brats?"

Ash's nose was in the air. "Sousuke Aizen, the most powerful shinigami who has _ever _existed (A/N: most powerful, my freakin' ass!)"

This had been the answer he was dreading. The answer he hoped he would never hear. He sighed in exasperation.

"You're coming with me. It's not like Aizen to send weaklings. He's up to something, and you will tell the whole of Soul Society what it is!"

"He will beat you all!" Ash yelled, loudly enough for nearly the whole of Seireitei to hear. "He will beat you, and Rugia will be returned to the sea!"

--

Hinamori heard him and thought, _How ridiculous it is to contradict oneself in so extreme a way. Because Aizen will never release Rugia. Which is why I exist. To protect the sanctity of these beautiful legendary creatures, and to maintain the peace within these parallel worlds of humans and Shinigamis._

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update… I can be _so _lazy sometimes… xp


End file.
